Once Upon a Time for Class
by isabelle-hunterofshadows
Summary: feautures various OUAT characters as high school students
1. Chapter 1

_**Ashley**_

Stares.

Judgmental, mocking stares.

Twenty four of these glared at Ashley as she entered English II. After eight months of this, she had grown used to the idea. Her round belly had reached the extent of the size a stomach could possibly grow. She knew what that meant: freedom. She could eat what she wanted. Nobody would shout "slut" or "whore" as she walked down the hall. Her body would be free.

But it also meant that in less than one month, she would be a mother. Oh, she would put the baby up for adoption. But Sean wouldn't be there to hold her hand and ask her how she was feeling. She wouldn't have a child and her child wouldn't have a father, but that didn't change the fact that she would be a mother.

To take her mind off of things, she evaluated the twenty four judgmental stares. Ten stares (twenty eyes) were glued onto her as if there was nothing else to look at in the room. Ten looked anywhere but directly at her, as if their brains processing the image of her pregnancy would defile them. Three cast her sympathetic smiles; Ashley dismissed these. If they truly understood her pain, they would have the courage to talk to her.

The final set of eyes remained emotionless. Sean sat next to her because they had been starry-eyed lovers when they chose seats in September, when she was his attractive, popular girlfriend, not the hefty girl carrying a bastard child.

They broke up the first day she wore maternity wear to school.

His eyes could glaze over her baby bump carelessly, as if he had nothing to do with it. Ashley wanted to scream at him, _Don't you give a shit about me anymore? If not me, what about your baby? Whether I keep her or not, she's going to spend the rest of her life wondering why her father didn't want her._

Class ended the way it started, with Ashley attempting but tragically failing to ignore the stares. Oh, she could ignore the judgments, the hypocritically smiles, and the feigned disinterest. But it was Sean's reaction that she cared about so deeply.

"Let me carry your bag," he mumbled, scooping the pile of textbooks from her desk. This was their first interaction in months. Though impolite and clearly forced, Ashley appreciated his five words to her. They meant so much.

"Thank you," she said genuinely.

"Where's your next class?"

"Calculus, room 232," she replied, even though he had her schedule memorized. It was only going through the motions of pretending they never meant anything to one another. As if he hadn't known where she was every moment of the day, as if they didn't make out in front of room 232 every day in between English and math.

As if he hadn't broken her heart.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Rumpelstiltskin_**_ (Rupert Gold)_

Rupert waited every single day for the gap in between his chemistry class and Business 101. Every second of his day revolved around that three minute break in between periods. He got to take a shortcut through the library on the way to business, where the prettiest sophomore in school, Belle, spent practically every waking moment.  
They dated throughout freshman year, but lost each other due to the curse of summer. They saw each other a few times in the beginning of the year, going out to the diner near Storybrooke High for iced tea and burgers. Rupert encouraged her to sign up for the student volunteering job at the school library, and he had even helped her through a rebellious phase of hers. But they were different people, very much so; she somehow managed to be nerd and beautiful, while he somehow managed to be a loner yet feared by everyone in school. He had a thing for gossip, it couldn't be helped. The only time Belle appreciated fabrications of the truth was when they were embedded on the soft pages sewn together by binding, protected by a brand new hard cover. He couldn't help but wonder what she saw in him for that long amount of time they had been together.

He passed through the library and waved to Belle, who happened to be stacking a pile of Stephanie Perkins novels in the romance section. The very section he so desperately yearned for their story to be shelved. Unfortunately, the only law of the library that their relationship adhered to was silence. He waved to her, and she waved back, only to return immediately to her books.

She didn't see anything worthwhile in him. She looked past everyone's flaws and saw a person worth loving.

That was why he was so tragically in love with her.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Red "Ruby" Riding Hood_**

Ruby shoved her Medieval Studies in her crimson book bag, fully knowing it would most likely not be complete by the assigned due date. Balancing an after-school job at Granny's Diner and schoolwork was not an easy task. She left Medieval Studies with a bit of excitement to head to advanced cooking class. It was the one period of the day she truly enjoyed, and the one that would help her prepare to follow in her Granny's footsteps and run the family diner.

As she walked to class, a cloud of worry flooded her mind. What if she couldn't be like her Granny? Perhaps it would be easier to pack up and head to Boston after graduation. She could build her own life, with no impossible footsteps to follow. She so desperately wanted to be like her Granny, but there were dreams that could not be. Nobody could live up to her standards.

As Ruby passed through the library (the best shortcut to advanced cooking) she paused for an extra second in the cookbook section, placed conveniently next to the business shelf. She grabbed a few thick books from each section and checked them out, calculating the amount of time she had before the warning bell. She had time.

She may not have been born with her Granny's legendary ability to run the towns most beloved eatery, but with a bit of studying and practice, she could write her own legacy in her home of Storybrooke.


	4. Chapter 4

Pom-poms flew through the air, followed by deafening cheers that irritated Mary Margaret Blanchard to no end. Ever since freshman year, she had held the prestigious title of head cheerleader. Senior year was supposed to be her time in the spotlight. Head cheerleader was the key ticket to Homecoming Queen, which Mary Margaret had in the bag. Until now.

Regina Mills had spent the summer perfecting her double back-flip, which helped her barely snag the position of head cheerleader. Much to Mary Margaret's chagrin, Regina would most likely earn the Homecoming Queen crown as well.

"Why did you vote for Regina?" she interrogated her fellow cheer members, Skye Blue and Trixi Greene.

"I wanted to vote for you, Mary Margaret," replied Skye. "Honest, I did. But Regina can be intimidating. We don't want that rhymes-with-witch on our bad side. Right, Trixi?"

Trixi laughed. "Regina can fly off, I'm not afraid of her. Mary Margaret, you can count on me to put your name on my ballot any day."

Despite the comforting words from Trixi, Mary Margaret walked home sullenly. She loved being a cheerleader and celebrating whether Storybrooke won or lost. Regina was only in it for the popularity aspect.

With an abrupt halt, an unwelcome thought creeped into Mary Margaret's mind: was David Nolan, captain of the football team and Mary Margaret's prince charming, at stake now that the Storybrooke High social scene was in the hands of Regina?


	5. Chapter 5

**Belle**

Librarians, as Belle learned, were certified observers. They soaked up every detail not only the lives of fictional characters, but the coming and goings of students.

She watched Ruby, who had most likely never read a book in her life, check out a stack of books larger than ten double-decker burgers at Granny's. She witnessed a group of cheerleaders congratulate Regina while Mary Margaret lingered behind, looking unusually sad. Perhaps the most interesting tales took place in the Storybrooke library rather than the story books it offered.

Her heart fluttered a bit every time she caught a glimpse of Rupert Gold. Despite their differences in the past, he played a major role in why Belle's life was the way it was. She couldn't erase her past any more than the fact that she was hopelessly in love with Rupert.

She didn't love him in spite of his flaws, she love him _because _of them. Loving someone who was already good was like trying to fix a teacup that wasn't chipped.


End file.
